Business by Design this month focuses on the importance of Thinking Big.

THIS MONTH:
+ Aim High
+ Competitive Edge
+ Recommended Reading

Aim High
Time was when your reputation, alone, could assure your future prosperity.

Times have changed.

Welcome to 2005, a year with more gifted, extensively educated, widely acclaimed, multi talented, highly qualified, award winning design professionals than ever before.

With that kind of competition, it will take more than your skills to meet your financial and other goals this year. It will take Big Thinking.

Big Thinking, as in, pursuing higher end clients. Bidding on bigger and better jobs. Proposing larger scale deals.

Big Thinking, as in seeking more referrals. Reaching out to more prospects. Marketing yourself in more high profile publications.

Big Thinking, as in networking with and speaking to more prestigious groups. Aligning yourself with more established allied professionals.

And, Big Thinking, as in setting higher fees.

Competitive Edge
That kind of big thinking will be your competitive advantage.

90% of design professionals -- even those gifted, extensively educated, widely acclaimed, multi talented, highly qualified, award winning ones -- think small. Outrageously so.

They're so focused on day-to-day details that they don't get the big picture. They aim way too low.

Reach higher, and think bigger this year, and you'll reap far greater rewards.

Recommended Reading
Get hold of The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.

There may be a better book out on this topic, but I haven't seen it. It's a bit dated (1959), but it's a classic.